CBJ vs NJD 3/17

Mechanics Behind the Third Period Push, Jet Greaves' Puck Moving, New Jersey's Rush Danger

A day late because I was in attendance! Another unfortunate loss, filled with back breaking mistakes, a team unable to break through a collapsed defensive structure and prone to some counterattacks. But this one felt different.

The Stats

The Blue Jackets put up a massive number of shot attempts from pretty much every situation. Largely, they outcompeted New Jersey in races to the puck and drove massive shot differentials.

Under the hood, or looking more closely, New Jersey counterattacked very well and got a ton of danger as well. A large number of the shot differential came from exterior shots, though the danger still ultimately leaned in the Blue Jackets’ favor, so it wasn’t an all-out domination.

The Devils found most of their damage by capitalizing on neutral zone turnovers and, later in the game at least, sending pucks deep and having Timo Meier chase after them.

What stands out to me, especially, is in the Blue Jackets’ tenacity on shot recovery and capacity to turn faceoff wins into shots. Too many of those were perimeter oriented but it’s a good sign that the team could win so many faceoffs (largely thanks to Justin Danforth who won 12 and only lost 3).

The forecheck was completely tenacious. Last time out against New Jersey, I noted that they brought a ton of forwards back to help with breakouts perhaps because they prioritize neutral zone defending instead of puck moving. In this game, the Blue Jackets took advantage.

The third period, especially, they really brought defensemen down hard on the walls to compress the space around New Jersey’s more passive interior defense. Zach Werenski, in particular, exerted a nearly inhuman degree of effort in pinching and helping win pucks back but the forwards did their job as well. Perhaps I should save some of this for the film section.

The Blue Jackets found incredible volume, though the largely exterior nature of it is well represented. Zach Werenski was a force, Fabbro was firmly to the outside and Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov and Adam Fantilli were all excellent in creating danger. Mathieu Olivier, with the only goal of the night, only continues to grow his legend.

Before I move on, it’s worth mentioning just how good Jesper Bratt was. He has truly grown into an elite wing and his speed and spatial attacking as a solo effort, as in away from Jack Hughes, should only serve to emphasize just how much he stands on his own. He’s small, sure, but he knows how to use his body and size to be difficult to play against. Timo Meier was a force in power drives and is feasting on the Blue Jackets’ D’s poor skating.

It’s frankly ridiculous that Yegor Chinakhov didn’t get a goal. The puck found it’s way to him through the excellent forechecking of Dmitri Voronkov, Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko and he just unfortunately couldn’t find the finish. Perhaps a healthy Chinakhov, though we haven’t yet seen a fully healthy season, would be the difference right now.

Kent Johnson was stellar this game. He’s continuing to bring more motion and less stagnant wall play. He found so many creative build up passes and drive slot chances more than any other forward. Zach Werenski, in particular, seemed eager to find him for big chances. With a bit more finishing touch from the slot, Kent Johnson could somehow have even more goals this season.

Micah has changed his matchup viz away from shot shares to xG/60. A change that makes the differences more stark though one that I think is already presented in data elsewhere. IN any case, it’s good to recognize just how much teh Blue Jackets top six dominated the Devils. Hischier, an incredible center in his own right, couldn’t find any breathing room. Jesper Bratt, alongside new addition Cody Glass, created dangerous rush chance after dangerous rush chance. No line, save from Danforth, was spared from their talent.

What I think you can also notice, was the different in performance in the third period after Kent Johnson-Adam Fantilli-Kirill Marchenko were put together. I have to admit, it’s a line that I penciled together last season (before any Monahan additions) believing it has everything a forward line needs to be sucessful. They were awesome together, albeit in a small window, though it may ultimately not be a good use of the majority of the finishing talent and puck carrying on the roster.

In the end, the Blue Jackets couldn’t find the victory but the third period was just about as entertaining and encouraging 20 minutes of hockey that you’ll ever get to see.

Stories of the Game

The Third Period - Forecheck, Pinch, Reload, Chance

One of the key themes of this third period was the exchange between forwards and defensemen. If New Jersey is going to sit back and pack the paint, though they weren’t necessarily as passive as that might suggest, the Blue Jackets can take advantage by shrinking the ice around their unit. In other words, getting defensemen involved helps the whole 5 man unit stay connected.

Where the Blue Jackets have gone wrong, lately, is in bringing a defensemen down without forward reloading. In search of “greasy goals” or access to rebounds the Blue Jackets’ motion has gone stale. It leads to a ton of breakaways, though very intense pressure will yield that anyway, and lends no space to work with in-zone. Too often, a defenseman will move low and their only option will be to force a pass into the slot towards a bunch of forwards standing still.

Not this period.

There’s so much to like about the third period but it has to start with the new-look top-line setting the tone. It would be easy to think that this collection of players might try to “globetrot” or “skill it up” or whatever the conservative old coaches want to say about anyone with a modicum of creativity. But they didn’t drive their success through those plays, just anticipation, workrate and forechecking.

There’s plenty of skill to go around, to be sure, and there’s room to be disappointed with some of the passes that the Blue Jackets allowed, but there’s no questioning the effectiveness and commitment.

Marchenko and Werenski bring the heat to degrade the play and make an easy retrieval. Kent Johnson’s bank pass to Provorov to maintain speed was almost too casual to be believed. Marchenko’s entry dump into the bracket for Fantilli and Johnson, though it was ultimately broken, was a disciplined play worthy of praise.

What’s easiest to love about the line was simply the motion. They tried to win the game with their legs first, as it should be. Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson dash through the slot on multiple occasions and Ivan Provorov owns the wall. They ice the puck and the deluge begins.

Dmitri Voronkov is an animal when he gets near the play on the boards, perhaps a big horse according to John Davidson, but notice Yegor Chinakhov’s positioning and motion as well. He enables Boone Jenner to play below the puck who offers up a sweet slot pass for Chinakhov to not only get a high danger chance but a follow up on the rebound as well.

Chinakhov starts off a neutral zone re-entry sequence, a result of heavily pressured exits, with a hard shot very legitimate scoring chance. Where Voronkov lags in foot speed in the initial pressure, he makes up for with middle presence and Severson’s dutiful play along the wall as well. Yegor Chinakhov broke his stick and had to leave, so Zach Werenski moves over and covers an easy exit. Werenski moves over, collapses the defense, and then gives the puck to Chinakhov for another excellent scoring chance. Mere inches separate Chinakhov from a goal.

Werenski retrieves the puck well, Kent Johnson makes an excellent bump pass to Kirill Marchenko for a controlled entry who fakes out the goalie with a cross-seam pass to Werenski that is also inches from a goal.

More motion and reloading, an excellent pass from Adam Fantilli to keep the momentum and a miss from Kent Johnson on a loose puck in the slot.

Werenski and Severson get involved deep in the offensive zone, fighting for pucks and keeping it in until Dmitri Voronkov draws the penalty. We get a great corner camera look at Chinakhov’s position in response to the shifting New Jersey formation as well.

One of the best off-puck assists you’ll ever see from Justin Danforth. No credit on the scoresheet but his anticipation and drive give Mathieu Olivier an incredible chance and a nearly game-changing goal.

Justin Danforth’s exit takeaway and setup for Zach Aston-Reese is as dangerous as it gets.

Though Evason didn’t pull the goal, you wouldn’t be able to tell from the last 5v5 shift from the top-line. Zach Werenski’s energy exertion is nearly inhuman, his hustle to drive the middle entry and to recover Marchenko’s shot below the goal line is pure inspiration. Kent Johnson moves around the ice a ton, wins races to pucks and keeps the play alive, misses yet another great rebound chance and sets up Adam Fantilli for another.

They couldn’t get it done, but I can’t help but agree with Dean Evason, that was awesome.

Jet Greaves

Jet Greaves was an excellent goaltending this game. The bounce off the back wall was extremely unfortunate, especially in how it floated directly to Jesper Bratt. You might come away believing goaltenders should stay in the crease but I’d like to offer some compelling counterpoints.

The Blue Jackets rely heavily on their goaltenders to help tilt the ice in their favor. They send five men up to help get second wave pucks out of the neutral zone and up-ice. That aggressive forward motion, especially from their defensemen, means they’re vulnerable to chips behind just as they get up to speed. If the goaltender can be that last-man back puck retriever, especially in exactly that case, it gives the Blue Jackets a significant leg up and enables even more aggressive and connected five man unit play.

This isn’t that play but it’s a fantastic middle breakout from Jet Greaves who thwarts New Jersey’s otherwise excellent forecheck coverage and helped the Blue Jackets get their own.

On the following play, his puck moving pays dividends again. Excellent tracking from Kent Johnson to degrade the quality of the dump-in and Jet Greaves rewards him with an astute glass-and-out clear straight into a numbers advantage for the Blue Jackets.

Kent Johnson corrals Boone Jenner’s sub-optimal entry pass and keeps workign to find something better. Werenski circles the net and KJ times his motion into the slot for an incredibly high danger shot on net.

Without Jet Greaves puck moving, the Blue Jackets have to work incredibly hard to beat an intense and committed forecheck. The mistake makes the risk hard to stomach but a goalie who can make life easy on defensemen might just be a significant weapon in the Blue Jackets’ arsenal.

New Jersey Counter Chances

Before we ride off into the three day break (now two days I suppose) believing that the Blue Jackets played a perfect game, let’s ground ourselves a bit. When I say Jet Greaves played well, that usually means that he had work to do.

For the most part, New Jersey found their danger from counter attacking situations and some sublime skating and rush play from Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes. Not only did they get the bad bounce from the back wall on the second goal but a terrible bounce on an exit attempt from Ivan Provorov bounced off of a ref’s skate into the slot as well.

There’s still plenty of flaws on the roster, but if the Blue Jackets learn anything from the way key young forwards played to close out the game, there’s another gear coming soon.